Effect of ionizing radiation on the dielectric characteristics of TlInSe<Subscript>2</Subscript> and TlGaTe<Subscript>2</Subscript> single crystals

The temperature dependences of the electrical conductivity and the permittivity of TlInSe₂ and TlGaTe₂ crystals unirradiated and irradiated with 4-MeV electrons at a doze of 10¹⁶ cm⁻² have been investigated. It has been established that electron irradiation leads to a decrease in the electrical conductivity σ and the permittivity ɛ over the entire temperature range under study (90–320 K). It has been revealed that the TlInSe₂ and TlGaTe₂ single crystals undergo a sequence of phase transitions characteristic of crystals of this type, which manifest themselves as anomalies in the temperature dependences σ = f(T) and ɛ = f(T). Electron irradiation at a doze of 10¹⁶ cm⁻² does not affect the phase transition temperatures of the crystals under investigation.     

Tellurium Solubility in TlGaTe<Subscript>2</Subscript> and TlInTe<Subscript>2</Subscript> and the Electrophysical Properties of Solid Solutions

The complex methods of the physicochemical analysis are used to study TlGaTe₂–Te and TlInTe₂–Te alloys in which the tellurium solubility region up to 5.0 at % is observed. The temperature dependences of the lattice parameters and the electrical conductivity of TlGaTe_{2 + x} and TlInTe_{2 + x} have been studied in different crystallographic directions. The TlGaTe_{2 + x} and TlInTe_{2 + x} solid solutions undergo a phase transition at a temperature of 498 K. The transition nature is interpreted.     

Giant dielectric relaxation in TlGaTe<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystals

The conductivity and temperature-frequency dependences of the permittivity of TlGaTe₂ crystals have been studied. Strong dielectric relaxation has been revealed. It has been shown that the mechanism of dielectric relaxation is associated with hopping of Tl ions over vacancies in the thallium sublattice due to the transition of the system to the superionic state.     

Electrical properties of TlGaTe2 single crystals under hydrostatic pressure

The effect of hydrostatic pressure (up to 0.82 GPa) on the electric properties of chain TlGaTe₂ single crystals has been investigated in the temperature range 77-296 K. It has been shown that pressure leads to a considerable increase of conductivity (σ_⊥) across the chains of TlGaTe₂ single crystals. Parameters of localized states in the band gap of TlGaTe₂ single crystal according to the low-temperature electrical measurements were obtained at various pressures.     

Dielectric properties and charge transfer in (TlInSe2)0.1(TlGaTe2)0.9 for the DC and AC current

The experimental results of studying the temperature and frequency dependences of dc and ac conductivity as well as the dispersion of dielectric coefficients of the grown single crystals of the (TlInSe₂)_0.1(TlGaTe₂)_0.9 solid solution are presented. The nature of dielectric losses and the hopping charge transfer mechanism have been established, and parameters of localized states, such as the density of states near the Fermi level and their spread, the average time and the hopping length of charge carriers, and the concentration of deep traps responsible for dc and ac conductivity, have been evaluated.     

Spin dynamics in LiCu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> and NaCu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> low-dimensional helical magnets

Comprehensive NMR investigation of low-frequency spin dynamics of LiCu₂O₂ (LCO) and NaCu₂O₂ (NCO) low-dimensional helical magnets in the paramagnetic state has been carried out for the first time. Temperature dependences of the spin–lattice relaxation rate and anisotropy on various LCO/NCO nuclei have been determined at various orientations of single crystals in an external magnetic field. The spatial asymmetry of spin fluctuations in LCO multiferroic has been discovered. The quantitative analysis of the anisotropy of spin–lattice relaxation in LCO/NCO has allowed estimating the contributions of individual neighboring Cu²⁺ ions to the transferred hyperfine field on Li⁺(Na⁺) ions.     

Magnetic anisotropy of the VBO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and CrBO<Subscript>3</Subscript> transition-metal borates

Temperature and field dependences of the magnetization of VBO₃ and CrBO₃ single crystals with the magnetic field applied parallel and perpendicular to the (111) basal plane were measured. VBO₃ was found to have a considerable uniaxial anisotropy with a field H_a≈6.25 T. CrBO₃ was shown to exhibit not only uniaxial but also hexagonal anisotropy. The experimental anisotropy constants were estimated, and their temperature dependences are presented.     

The transport and thermal properties of glassy LiPO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/crystalline Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> (ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>) composite electrolytes

Glassy LiPO₃/crystalline Al₂O₃ and glassy LiPO₃/crystalline ZrO₂ (0–12.5 vol.% of oxide fillers) composite solid electrolytes have been prepared by glass matrix softening. Their thermal and transport properties have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and impedance spectroscopy methods. The addition of ZrO₂ leads to a decrease in the crystallization temperature of LiPO₃ glass. It was found that the conductivity behavior depends on the nature of the dispersed addition. In the case of the Al₂O₃ addition, the increase in the electrical conductivity is observed. The ionic conductivity of the LiPO₃/10% Al₂O₃ composite reaches 5.8 × 10^?8 S/cm at room temperature. In contrast, the conductivity in the LiPO₃/ZrO₂ composite system decreases.     

Charge carrier mobility in crystals of the Pb<Subscript>0.67</Subscript>Cd<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>F<Subscript>2</Subscript> superionic conductor

The frequency (ν = 10^?1–10⁷ Hz) dependences σ(ν) of the conductivity of single crystals of the Pb_0.67Cd_0.33F₂ superionic conductor with the fluorite-type structure (CaF₂) in the temperature range of 132–395 K have been studied. The dependences σ(ν) have been discussed in the framework of the hopping relaxation of ionic carriers, which are mobile anions F^?. From experimental curves σ(ν), the direct-current (dc) conductivity σ_dc and the average charge carrier hopping frequency ν_h have been determined. This has made it possible to calculate the charge carrier mobility μ_mob and charge carrier concentration n _mob in these crystals. At room temperature (293 K), the electrical parameters are σ_dc = 1.6 × 10^?4 S/cm, ν_h = 2.7 × 10⁷ Hz, μ_mob = 2.0 × 10^?7 cm²/(s V), and n _mob = 5.1 × 10²¹ cm^?3.     

Thermal physical properties of Bi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> single crystals

The heat capacity, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal expansion of Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ single crystals have been measured over a wide temperature range.     

Thermal conductivity,heat capacity,and thermodynamic functions of the Bi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> single crystal

The thermal conductivity and the heat capacity of a single crystal of bismuth orthogermanate Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ have been experimentally investigated in the temperature ranges 50–300 and 56–300 K, respectively. The temperature dependences of the phonon mean free path, the characteristic Debye temperature, and the changes in the entropy and enthalpy have been calculated.     

Study of the anisotropy of the dielectric response of Na<Subscript>1/2</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>1/2</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> relaxor ferroelectric

The dielectric response, conductivity, and domain structure of (Na_1/2Bi_1/2)TiO₃ single crystals are studied in the temperature range of 290–750 K for the [100], [110], and [111] crystallographic directions. It is shown that the region of optical isotropization is observed in polarized light in the temperature range of 570–620 K. In this case, the birefringence (Δn) decreases and disappears (together with the image of the domain structure) for the [100] directions. The region of optical isotropization in the [111] directions is characterized by the disappearance of the image of the domain structure and by the existence of individual regions with partial quenching. The domain structure in the [110] directions remains distinguished against the background of a significant decrease in Δn in the indicated temperature range. The region of isotropization is also manifested in the temperature dependence of the imaginary part of the dielectric response and is determined by the isotropic character of the conductivity in the range of 570–620 K. The bulk conductivity has a thermally activated character with activation energies E _a = 50?60 meV at T < 500 K and E _a = 700?900 meV for T > 620 K. The low-frequency dispersion of the dielectric response is determined by the Maxwell–Wagner mechanism and is due to an increase in the ionic conductivity at temperatures above 620 K. The anisotropy of the susceptibility holds in the entire studied ranges of frequencies (25 Hz–1 MHz) and temperatures.     

Crystal structure features of RbFeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> polymorphs and their correlation with ionic conductivity

Analysis of correlation between structural features and rubidium ion conductivity is performed for RbFeO₂ polymorphs in a wide temperature range of 296–843 K. To explore the migration maps of Rb⁺ cations, we used neutron diffraction data for low- and high-temperature RbFeO₂ polymorphs and natural tiling concept implemented in the TOPOS software. Five independent elementary channels for the Rb⁺ cation migration have been revealed whose cross- sections were found to be essentially different in the low-temperature form, indicating a high anisotropy of the cation conductivity. During the transition to the cubic high-temperature phase all five channels become equivalent with sharply increased cross-sections, which accounts for the increase of cations mobility and gives rise to the three-dimensional character of conductivity.     

Magnetic properties of the CuCoAlBO<Subscript>5</Subscript> single crystal

High-quality CuCoAlBO₅ single crystals have been grown, and their crystal structure, magnetic susceptibility, and magnetization have been studied. It has been established that the CuCoAlBO₅ compound is an uncompensated antiferromagnet or ferrimagnet with a small magnetic moment and the magnetic ordering temperature T _N = 28 K. A model has been proposed for the magnetic structure. A strong anisotropy of the magnetic properties has been revealed.     

Specific features of the electrical conductivity of V<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> single crystals

The electrical conductivity of V₄O₇ single crystals has been measured over a wide temperature range, including both the region of existence of the metallic phase and the region of the metal-insulator transition. It has been shown that the low conductivity of metallic V₄O₇ is due to the strong electron-electron correlation, whose role increases with decreasing temperature as the phase-transition temperature is approached. The temperature dependence of the conductivity of the insulator phase of V₄O₇ is explained in terms of the theory of hopping conduction taking into account the influence of atomic thermal vibrations on the resonance integral.     

Anomalous increase of the thermopower and thermoelectric figure of merit in Ga-doped <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-(Bi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Sb<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript> single crystals

The effect of Ga doping on the temperature dependences (5 K ≤ T ≤ 300 K) of the Seebeck coefficient α, electrical conductivity σ, thermal conductivity coefficient κ, and thermoelectric figure of merit Z of p-(Bi_0.5Sb_0.5)₂Te₃ single crystals has been investigated. It has been shown that, upon Ga doping, the hole concentration decreases, the Seebeck coefficient increases, the electrical conductivity decreases, and the thermoelectric figure of merit increases. The observed variations in the Seebeck coefficient cannot be completely explained by the decrease in the hole concentration and indicate a noticeable variation in the density of states due to the Ga doping.     

Magnetic Resonance Study of Fe-Implanted TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Rutile

Single-crystal (100) and (001) TiO₂ rutile substrates have been implanted with 40 keV Fe⁺ at room temperature with high doses in the range of (0.5–1.5) × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². A ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) signal has been observed for all samples with the intensity and the out-of-plane anisotropy increasing with the implantation dose. The FMR signal has been related to the formation of a percolated metal layer consisting of close-packed iron nanoparticles in the implanted region of TiO₂ substrate. Electron spin resonance (ESR) signal of paramagnetic Fe³⁺ ions substituting Ti⁴⁺ positions in the TiO₂ rutile structure has been also observed. The dependences of FMR resonance fields on the DC magnetic field orientation reveal a strong in-plane anisotropy for both (100) and (001) substrate planes. An origin of the in-plane anisotropy of FMR signal is attributed to the textured growth of the iron nanoparticles. As result of the nanoparticle growth aligned with respect to the structure of the rutile host, the in-plane magnetic anisotropy of the samples reflects the symmetry of the crystal structure of the TiO₂ substrates. Crystallographic directions of the preferential growth of iron nanoparticles have been determined by computer modeling of anisotropic ESR signal of substitutional Fe³⁺ ions.     

Magnetic properties of Pb<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>9</Subscript> single crystals

Single crystals of Pb₂Fe₂Ge₂O₉ have been grown. They were subjected to X-ray diffraction, magnetic, neutron diffraction, Mössbauer and spin resonance studies. It has been established that Pb₂Fe₂Ge₂O₉ is a weak ferromagnet with a Néel temperature T _N = 46 K, and the exchange and spin-flop transition fields have been estimated. It has been demonstrated that the weak ferromagnetic moment is actually the result of the single-ion anisotropy axes for the magnetic moments of different magnetic sublattices being not collinear.     

Structure and Anisotropy of the Superconducting Order Parameter in Ba<Subscript>0.65</Subscript>K<Subscript>0.35</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>As<Subscript>2</Subscript> Probed by Andreev Spectroscopy

The superconducting order parameters in optimally doped Ba_0.65K_0.35Fe₂As₂ single crystals have been directly measured using multiple Andreev reflection effect spectroscopy of superconductor–normal metal–superconductor break-junctions. We determine two superconducting gaps, which are nodeless in the k _x k _y -plane of the momentum space, and resolve a substantial in-plane anisotropy of the large gap. The temperature dependences of the gaps indicate a strong coupling within the bands where Δ_L develops, a weak coupling in the condensate with the small gap Δ_S, and a moderate interband interaction between the two condensates. The own critical temperatures of both condensates have been estimated (under the hypotherical assumption of zero interband interaction).     

Specific features of electrical conductivity of V<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> single crystals

The electrical conductivity of V₃O₅ single crystals has been investigated over a wide temperature range, including the region of existence of the metallic phase and the region of the transition from the metallic phase to the insulating phase. It has been shown that the low electrical conductivity of metallic V₃O₅ is caused, on the one hand, by a lower concentration of electrons and, on the other hand, by a strong electronelectron correlation whose role with decreasing temperature increases as the phase transition temperature is approached. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of the insulating phase of V₃O₅ has been explained in the framework of the theory of hopping conduction, which takes into account the effect of thermal vibrations of atoms on the resonance integral.